Staying at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi was an experience that left me slightly conflicted. On paper, it should tick all the right boxes: a prime location, a globally respected luxury brand, and the promise of refined service. In practice, the stay felt serviceable rather than special.
The location is undoubtedly convenient. The hotel sits right next to Tokyo Station, just a short walk from the Yaesu Central Entrance rather than the more traditional Marunouchi side. Exiting at street level, turning right, and walking past the bus terminals will eventually lead you to a cluster of low-profile office buildings. The hotel entrance itself is discreet, almost too discreet, and easy to miss if you are not actively watching for it on the right-hand side. Once you know where it is, the access is straightforward, but first-time arrivals should pay attention.
The room, however, was where the experience started to unravel. It felt dated and noticeably behind the curve for a Four Seasons property. While there is an effort to maintain elegance through décor and furnishings, the overall impression is that time has caught up with the space. Compared directly, the difference in upkeep becomes obvious when placed alongside Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, where the rooms feel fresher, more refined, and clearly better maintained.
Service was polite and professional, but it stopped short of excellence. The staff clearly tried, yet the seamless, anticipatory service that defines the Four Seasons brand elsewhere never quite materialised. It felt competent rather than memorable. In fact, I found the service at Shangri-La Tokyo to be more consistent and attentive, which is not something I would have expected going in.
Breakfast followed a similar pattern. The food was good, prepared with care, and perfectly acceptable, but it did not stand out. Nothing was particularly lacking, yet nothing lingered in memory either. For a hotel in this category, breakfast is often a chance to elevate the stay, and here it simply maintained baseline quality.
Overall, this is a hotel that will appeal most to guests who specifically want to stay at a Four Seasons while in Tokyo and value proximity to Tokyo Station above all else. For travellers weighing experience against cost, there are stronger alternatives in the city that offer better rooms, sharper service, or a more compelling sense of value. Tokyo is rich with excellent hotels, and in this case, the Four Seasons name alone is not quite enough to justify choosing this property over its peers.